LCM for 18 and 12
What's the Least Common Multiple (LCM) of 18 and 12?
Answer
(Thirty-six)
Finding LCM for 18 and 12 using GCF of these numbers
The first method to find LCM for numbers 18 and 12 is to find Greatest Common Factor (GCF) of these numbers. Here's the formula:
LCM = (Number1 × Number2) ÷ GCF
GCF of numbers 18 and 12 is 6, so
LCM = (18 × 12) ÷ 6
LCM = 216 ÷ 6
LCM = 36
Finding LCM for 18 and 12 by Listing Multiples
The second method to find LCM for numbers 18 and 12 is to list out the common multiples for both numbers and pick the first one that matches:
Multiples of 18: 18, 36, 54, 72
Multiples of 12: 12, 24, 36, 48, 60
So the LCM for 18 and 12 is 36
Finding LCM for 18 and 12 by Prime Factorization
Another method to find LCM for numbers 18 and 12 is to list all Prime Factors for both numbers and multiply the highest exponent prime factors:
All Prime Factors of 18: 2, 3, 3 (exponent form: 21, 32)
All Prime Factors of 12: 2, 2, 3 (exponent form: 22, 31)
22 × 32 = 36
Related Calculations
See Also
- Greatest Common Factor - Find the Greatest Common Factor (GCF) of two numbers

LCM Table
About "Least Common Multiple" Calculator
Least Common Multiple (LCM) also known as the Lowest Common Multiple or Smallest Common Multiple of 2 numbers - it is the smallest positive integer that is divisible by both numbers